Knock Me Out

Chapter 81

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I've been standing outside this door for about ten minutes. I rang the bell and knocked countless times.

I can hear voices and some other sounds in the house, but no one is answering the door. I wonder what's happening in there.

Somehow I know that it's nothing good.

I walk around the house and stand right under Drew's window.

"Drew!" I call. No answer. "Drew!" I call louder. Still no reply.

I take a few pebbles that were laying around and start throwing them at the window.

God. I look like one of those hopeless romantics from the fairytales who are trying to get someone's attention.

The window flies open and Drew sticks her head out with a frown.
"Who's there?" She whispers loudly.

Why the hell is she whispering?

"It's me. Chaniëlle. Can you open the door?" I say.

"Shhht... keep your voice down." She says looking back like she's checking if someone's coming.

Something is so not right.

"Go around the back. I'll try to open that one." She says and disappears before I can ask her what happened to the front door.

I walk around to the back and wait for her for about five minutes, before she finally opens the door.

She wraps her arms around me tightly and I put my arms around her.

"I missed you." She says.

"How have you been?" I ask her and she just shrugs when she lets go of me. "Where's your dad?" I ask.

"He's somewhere in the house. Probably breaking something that reminds him of my mom." She says casually, like it's as normal as having a meal.

"What? What is he doing?" I ask thinking I heard her wrong.

"Oh. He's been breaking things in the house a lot lately and he refuses to get help. His therapist comes here some times, but he always chases him away. Since my mommy died the only period when he was calm and a normal person was when you was still his friend. He never has time. The only thing he does for me is take me to and from school." She says and shrugs. Apart from a few words that she pronounces wrong, she sounds so matured. When we make it into her room I stop to take a good look at her.

I see something in her. Someone. Very familiar.

I see me.

Me when my dad died. A lonely four year old who gets little to no attention from her parent.

"Oh Drew." I sigh.

"I'm okay. Really. Sometimes I just miss my mommy. Daddy doesn't want my friends to come here. I can't go to them either." She says sitting down on her bed.

"Why did you call me of all people you could call?" I ask curious.

"The last time his sister was here he pushed her down because she didn't want to leave. Aunty was saying 'you need help' 'you need help' and daddy said some bad words to her. Plus he calls your name sometimes." She says the last part softly.

"I'm going to look for him." I say and turn to leave the room.

"Wait." She says and I turn around. "Just... please be careful. Don't go too close to him. He gets really angry sometimes."
I nod and walk out of her room.

After walking around the entire house, the only part of the house I didn't want to enter, is the only place left to look. His bedroom.

I open the door without knocking and enter the room. It's completely dark. I spot him sitting in a corner of the room with His legs pulled up against his chests and his head down.
He's crying.

"Eldridge?" I call softly.

"Just leave." He says. His voice is so hoarse, it's barely audible. The way he says those two words just breaks my heart.

"Hey. It's me!" I say and take a few steps closer.

He looks up at me and blinks a few times. "You're not real. You're death."

"No. I'm not."

"Erica?" He asks standing up.

"No." I say. "Chaniëlle."

"Oh..." silence. He looks at me with something unfamiliar in his eyes until he eventually asks. "What are y... why are you here?"

"I came to check on you. What's happening to you?" I say in despair.

"I'm okay. You should go. I'm sure you have a lot to do." He says sitting back down in the corner.

"No, I'm not leaving you. Should I get you something?" I ask.

"No. It's my house. I can get myself anything I want." He snaps.

"Well I'm getting me something. I'll be right back." I say and walk towards the door. I need something to drink. I'm super thirsty.

"Can you... can you please get me some water?" He asks softly when I'm at the door and I nod.

I walk back with some waffles, a pack of chips and three bottles of water. He was clearly hungry seeing the way he devoured those waffles and chips.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong?" I ask softly. I'm seated next to him on the floor.

"I just miss my wife... a lot. It was my fault that she left. It was all my fault." He croaks out. 

"Well it would be weird if you didn't miss her." I say truthfully. "Why do you say that it's your fault?"

He doesn't answer. He just sits there and stares at one place.

I get up, clean up the room and the rest of the house where there were broken stuff lying around and he watches me in silence as he follows me around.

I make him some soup and watch him eat it all.

He doesn't say anything for the rest of the time that I spend there.

Not one word.
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There there.
I updated😁😆

Let me know what you think.

P.S. the little girl in the picture is Drew. You may have guessed it.

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Love❤ Nicky